Steam-engine



(No Model.) -3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. A. LIDBACK. STEAM ENGINE.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. A. LIDBAGK.

STEAM ENGINE.

No. 419,053. P Patented Ja11.7,l890.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. A. LIDBACK.

STEAM ENGINE-- Patented Jan. 7, 1890.

UNITED STATES y PATENT OFFICE.

.IoIIN A. LIDBAoK, or PORTLAND, MAINE.

STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 419,053, dated January'7, 1890.

Application filed April 2,1889. Serial No. 305,691. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. LIDBACK, of Portland, county of Cumberland,State of Maine, have invented an Improvement in Steam-Engines, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing likeparts.

This invention relates to reciprocating engines of that class known ashigh-speed engines, and has for its object to construct a y balancedengine, as will be deScribeCLWhereby a small and compact balanced enginecapable of running at a substantially high speed is obtained at aminimum cost.

In accordance with myinvention the steamcylinder and valve-chest arelocated below the main er crank shaft, which is supported in suitablebearings by the steam e cylinder, thereby economizing in space andespecially adapting my improved engine for marine purposes. Thesteam-cylinder is provided, as herein shown, with two pistons havingtheir piston-rods extended through the opposite ends or heads of thesteam-cylinder and directly connected to rockers operatively connectedat one end to the main shaft and constructed at their lower ends, aswill be described, whereby the pistons and their piston- Vrods will movein a straight line in opposite directions.

The valves-preferably pistonvalves#are connected to an eccentric on themain shaft, as will be described, so as to reciprocate in oppositedirections, the said pistonvalves being provided with steam-circulatingports, so that the steam in the valve- 'chest may circulate freelythrough the valve to effect a perfect balance of the same.

My invention therefore consists, essentially, in the combination, with asteam-cylinder and a valve-chest communicating therewith, of pistonslocated in said cylinder and having piston-rods extended through theopposite ends or heads of the said cylinder, a main shaft 'located abovethe said steam-cylinder and having cranks and rockers connected to saidpiston-rods and to the said cranks to produce opposite reciprocations ofthe said pistons, and oppositely-reciprocating piston-valves to actuatesaid pistons, substantially as will be described.

Other features of my invention will be pointed out in the claims at theend of this specification.

Figure l is a side elevation of one form Vof steam-engine embodying myinvention; Fig. 2, an end elevation of the engine shown in Fig. l; Fig.3, a longitudinal section of the engine on line y y, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, atransverse section of the engine on line no', Fio. 3; Fig. 5, alongitudinal section through thevalve-chest on line y', Fig. 3; Fig. 6,a side elevation of the engine, showing a modified form of rocker; andFig. 7 ,a detail in elevation of the rocker shown in Fig. 6.

The steam-cylinder A, preferably cast in one piece with the valve-chestA', is located above the said valvechest and separated therefrom by adivision-wah A2, provided, as herein shown, with passages a a a2 as,forming ports which connect the said valve and steam-chests, the ports aa', located near the center of the said wall,having a common outlet intothe steam-cylinder, and the ports a2 a3 communicating with the oppositeends of the said steam-cylinder.

The steam-cylinderA is provided at its ends with suitable heads a4 a5,and the valve-chest with heads a6 al, secured thereto in any suitablemanner.

The steam-cylinder A, as herein shown, contains within it two pistons a8a9 of any usual construction and provided with suitable packing-ringsal, and the said pistons are provided with piston-rods @12 a, extendedthrough the cylinder-heads a a5, respectively, and, as herein shown,through suitable stuffing-boxes a, secured to said cylinder-heads.

The piston-rods am L13 are respectively connected, as shown, to rockersZ9 b,' as by keys a, extended through yokes als on the end of the saidpiston-rods, the said` yokes, as herein shown, being tted upon blocksb2, secured to or forming part of pins b-Son the said rockers. 1.-.

The rockers l) D are connected at their ,upper ends by suitableconnecting-rods b4 b5 (see Fig. 3) to crank-pins DG 117, (seedottedlines,

Fig. 3,) herein shown on substantially diametrically opposite sides of acrank-disk bs, mounted on a main shaft b9, having bearings, as hereinshown,in pillow-blocks Z910, (see Fig. 2,) supported by brackets 512,secured to or forming vpart of the steam-cylinder, the said main shaftbeing provided with the usual drivin g-pulley bm.

The rockers Z) b are provided at their lower ends, as shown in Fig. 3,with teeth c, which mesh with teeth ot a rack-bar made, as herein shown,in three sections 2, 3, and 4, (see Fig. 2,) the sections 3 and 4 beinglocated on opposite sides of the central section 2, and all the sectionsbeing supported by a bed-plate c2, the central section 2 of the rackbarbeing adjustable longitudinally to compensate for wearing away of theteeth, and thus prevent lost motion between the teeth of the rocker andthe said rack-bar.

The bed-plate c2 has secured to or forming part 'of it sleeves c3, (seeFigs.'3 and 4,) forming bearingsfor rock-shafts c4 c5, provided at theirinner ends with rocker-arms c6 c7, the said arms, as herein shown, beingrounded or made ball-shaped at their upper ends (see Fig. 3) to engagecup-shaped sockets in sliding blocks o8 c, forming part. ofpiston-valves within the valve-chest.

`Each piston-valve is preferably composed of two disks c10 cl2, unitedby webs cl3, (see Fig. 5,) which form -a guideway, into which the blockso8 c9 are inserted, and in which the said blocks reciprocate in avertical direction, as hereinshown, to produce reciprocation of thevalve ina horizontal direction.

The disks 0,10 c12 are provided on their outer faces, as herein shown,with a threaded col-- lar or iiange c, to be engaged by a threadednipple on disks 016, between which disk and the disks C10 cl2 are placedthe usual packingrings C17.

The piston-valves are reciprocated toward and from each other by meansof an eccentric 5 on the main shaft b9, the said eccentric beingconnected by the usual strap 6 and eccentric-rod 7 to an arm'e'on therock-shaft c4, and the said eccentric, as herein shown, is provided witha stud 8, to which is connected one end of a link 9, having'its otherend connected to the arm e7 on the rock-shaft c5.

The upper part of the valve-chest A forms with side walls of the outershell or casting and with horizontal divisionfwalls d (seeiFig. 4)chambers d', which extend longitudinally the length of the saidvalve-chest on both sides, and communicate on both sides with theinterior of the said chest by means of central ports d? and end portscl3 d4, one o f the said chambers having connected to it a steam-inletpipe dx. The lower portion of the valve-chest forms, with the side wallsof the casing and the bed-plate c2, an exhaust chamber or space d5,provided with van outlet-pipe d6.

The webs C13 of the valve and the collar c said webs, are provided withopenings or holes d8, (see Fig. 4,) through Ywhich steam may circulatefrom one to the other side of the valve.

The operation of the engine as thus far del cated by arrows 20 andl, theVpiston-valves being at such time near the end of their strokes in thedirection indicated by said arrows, the ports a a being about to beopened for the admission ot live steam into the steamcylinder, and theports a2 as about to be opened to the exhaust-ports e e in the wall A',the said exhaustports communicating with the exhaust-chamber d5 throughthe ports e2 e3. (See dotted lines, Fig. 5.a) As, the pistons a8 a aremoved toward the end of their cylinder in oppositefdirections, the mainshaft is rotated through the rockers b b and connecting-'rods b4 b5, andby means of the rack-bar c and teeth c en the said rockerbars the pointsof connection between the piston-rods am als and the said rocker-bars,which points of connection may be regarded as the pins b3, move in thesame straight line, and thus insure a true running of the piston. Vhenthe pistons a8 .a9 have `reached the end of their strokes in thedirections indicated by arrows 20 and 2l, the valves through theeccentric 5 and rock-shafts c4 c5 are moved toward each other to connectthe ports cl3 d4 with the ports a3 a2 and the ports a a with theexhaust-ports e e, the steam passing through the Vports d3 d4 into thesteam-cylinder behind the pistons as a9 through the` ports a3 a other,thelive steam in the valve-chest between thesaidpistons is permitted topass or circulate from one side of the piston to the opposite sidethereof through ,the holes d8, and th us relieve the said piston-valvesfrom undue pressure on one side thereof and effect a perfect balance andan easy running of the valves.

I do not desire to limit myself to the particular form of rockerhereinshown, by which a true running of the pistons is obtained, as otherforms by which the same result-s may be accomplished may be used-as, forinstance, such as shown in Figs. 6 and '7, wherein each rocker isconnected at its upper end to the connecting-rods, and is pivoted at itslower end, as at'lO, to a link l2, pivotally connected to a .solidsupport as a part of the casting or base of the engine. rlhe rocker isalso pivotally connected, as at 13?, to a link or arm 13, forming partof a hub 14 on a piu 15, supported by the casting or bracket 16.

The speed of the engine may be regulated by any usual or well-known formof governon As the valves are moved toward each- IOO IIO

A crank-disk bs is bent or offset substantially at its center, as atZ120, so that the crank-shaft boXes secured on opposite sides of thesaid disk come substantially in line with the offset portions orhalvesof the crank-disk,where by a more compact engine is obtained.

As shown in the drawings, the piston-valves are made of such size as notto completely uncover the ports a2 a3 when the said valves are moved totheir extreme outward position; but in practice they will be made so asto uncover the whole of the ports.

l. In asteam-engine, the combination, with a steam-cylinder and avalve-chest communicating therewith, of pistons located in said cylinderand having piston-rods extended through the opposite ends or heads ofthe said cylinder, a main shaft located above the said steam-cylinderand having cranks and rockers connected to said piston-rods and to thesaid cranks tio-produce opposite reciprocations of the said pistons, andoppositely-re ciprocating piston-valves to act-nate said pistons,substantially as described.

2. In a steam-en gine, the combination, with a steam-cylinder and avalve-chest located below and communicating therewith, of pistonslocated in said cylinder and having piston-rods extending through theopposite ends or heads of the said cylinder, a main shaft located abovethe said steam-cylinder and having cranks set substantially opposite,rockers connected to said cranks and to the piston rods, piston-valveslocated in said valve-chest, and an eccentric on the main shaftoperatively connected to said valves, substantially as described.

3. In a steam-engine, the combination, with a steam-cylinder providedwith a piston, a valve-chest located below and communicating` with saidsteam-cylinder, and a valve in said chest, of a main or crank shaftsupported above the said steam cylinder and valvechest, whereby economyin space is effected, substantially as described.

4. In a steam-en gine, the combination, with a steam-cylinder and avalve-chest communieating therewith, of pistons located in said cylinderand having piston rods extended through the ends or heads of the saidcylinder, a main shaft having cranks operatively connected to saidpiston-rods to produce opposite reciprocations of the said pistons,piston-valves in said valve-chest provided with circulating openings forthe passage of the steam from one to the other side of the piston-valve,and means, substantially as described, to produce oppositereciprocations of the said valves, substantially as described.

5. In a steam-engine, the combination, with a steam-cylinder and avalvelchest communieating therewith, of pistons located in said cylinderand having piston-rods extended through the ends or heads of the saidcylinder, a main shaft having cranks set substantially opposite, rockersconnected to said cranks and to the said piston-rods, pistonvalves insaid valve-chest provided with circulating openings for the passage ofsteam from one to the other side of the piston-valve, and means,substantially as described, to produce opposite reciprocations ofthesaid valves, substantially as described.

6. In a steam-en gine, the combination, with a steam-cylinder and avalve-chest communieating therewith, of pistons located in said cylinderand having piston-rods extended through the ends or heads of the saidcylinder, a main shaft having cranks set substantially opposite, rockersconnected to said cranks and to the said piston-rods, valves in saidvalve-chest, rock-shafts connected to said valves, and an eccentric onthe main shaft connected to said rock-shafts to produce oppositereciprocations ofthe said valves, substantially as described.

'7. In a steam-engine, the combination, with a steam-cylinder and avalve-chest communieating therewith, of pistons located in said cylinderand having piston-rods extended through the ends or heads of the saidcylinder, aI main shaft having cranks set substantially opposite,rockers connected to said cranks and to the said piston-rods,pistonvalves in said valve-chest provided with circulating openings forthe passage of steam from one to the other side of the piston-valve,rock-shafts connected to said piston-,valves and provided with arms eGe7, and an eccentric on the main shaft connected to said arms, as andfor the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN A. LIDBACK.

Witnesses:

ELMER G. Gnnmsn, Guo. L. GERRISH.

IOO

